Max Verstappen wins Spanish GP as Hamilton and Russell keep ...

Giles Richards was in Barcelona to see it all unfold.

• 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

• 2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

• 3. George Russell (Mercedes)

• 4. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

• 5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

• 6. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

• 7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

• 8. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

• 9. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)

• 10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

The socials.

Max Verstappen: “It’s a big pleasure to drive with a car like this and it showed again today.”

Lewis Hamilton: “What a result for our team. I want to thank everyone back in the factory.”

George Russell: “It’s a sign of things hopefully to come.”

That’s seven wins from seven races this season for Red Bull.

“Well controlled, Max, that was mega, a masterclass,” says Christian Horner to the young world champion, headed for the title again.

“Well done, Lewis,” say the Merc team. “Mega job, guys,” says Hammo.

66/66: Feels like Perez has run out of road and time in chasing down Russell. Will DRS come into play? Nope. And Verstappen claims another win, from wire to wire with pole and fastest lap. A perfect weekend. Hamilton claims second, and Russell completes the podium.

65/66: That Perez and Russell gap is three seconds. Russell must negotiate the traffic of the backmarkers.

64/66: Verstappen driving serenely now. Hamilton and Perez are chasing that fastest lap.

63/66: “Now can you bring it home within the white lines,” Red Bull tell Max. “Yeah, yeah,” says the Stapmeister.

62/66: Verstappen sets a fastest lap when his team had told him to take no risks. Meanwhile, Red Bull tell Perez to go “all out now”.

61/66: Perez losing a bit of time as he gets stuck with the backmarkers.

60/66: “Zero risk,” says Alonso, just a place behind Lance Stroll in sixth and seventh for the Aston Martin.

59/66: Verstappen is shown a black and white flag for going off again – the third time. “No risks required,” say his team.

58/66: Perez is taking it to Russell, and he’s claimed a fastest lap.

57/66: Guanyu Zhou and Yuki Tsunoda clash in the battle for 10th. “He’s pushed me off, man,” says the Chinese driver. Hmm, maybe not. Felt like Tsunoda had right of way.

56/66: George Russell is being readied for the imminent attack by Sergio Perez. Checo meanwhile is being told to preserve his tyres for the final fling.

55/66: Verstappen’s lead on Hamilton is over 16 seconds now. No more pits to come. The tyres are all set for the extra point for a fastest lap.

54/66: Perez has passed Sainz as he sets sail on catching up with the Mercedes pair, and perhaps that will be the excitement that awaits at the end of this race.

53/66: Max Verstappen pits for the last time, he’s been complaining about the tyres for a while.

Anne Williams: “I don’t miss 2021 Grand Prix. Too many dangerous crashes and a lot of bitterness to end the season.”

52/66: Ocon and Alonso almost have a prang around the pit lane, and to cheers and boos. That looked a little dangerous.

51/66: Hamilton pits, as does Perez, and that means Sainz passes Perez in pursuit of Russsell in third.

50/66: George Russell asking the Merc team whether he will be able to catch Perez. The answer is in the affirmative.

49/66: Russell sets a fastest lap as he chases Perez. Yuki Tsunoda is passed by Alonso for ninth while complaining loudly to his team.

48/66: The race is on – for third – Russell, Perez and Sainz. Lewis Hamilton looks to have second sewn up.

47/66: Perez is in third now that Russell is pitted, and the Briton must hope Perez needs another pit.

46/66: Max seems to be using more of the circuit than he realises.

45/66: Verstappen has another lap deleted for going beyond the limits. Naughty boy. He’s probably bored. “What?!” He kept missing turn 5.

44/66: Edwin gets in touch: “I really do feel for Lewis. I hope Mercedes can get him a car that can compete before he retires. None of these guys can compete with Max. Really miss the 2021 rivalry.”

Think the sport does, yes.

43/66: Verstappen says the front of his car is overheating when his Red Bull team offer him the option of changing tyres. “Maybe a few more laps.” Might Mercedes risk a lesser-stop strategy?

42/66: Leclerc, up to eighth, pits and then drops to 14th and is lapped by Verstappen. This weekend has not gone well for Ferrari.

41/66: About that rain – turns out to to have been George Russell’s sweat.

40/66: Verstappen has lapped Norris, and then got a telling-off for using the limits of the track.

39/66: Hamilton is 15 seconds behind Verstappen on his medium compound. Any attack on the leader, should it arrive, will happen later in the race.

38/66: Back in 18th, Lando Norris, who was third on the grid in his McLaren. The Mac revival has not happened this weekend, after all.

37/66: The Ferrari team have their plan devised for Carlos Sainz: “stop Checo.”

36/66: “Solid work,” the pit lane tells Russell. “Just solid?” he asks.

35/66: Perez seems set to overtake Sainz, now can he catch up one of the Mercedes.

34/66: Russell blazes past Sainz and it’s two Mercedes on the tail of Verstappen.

33/66: The halfway point, and the question is how far ahead Verstappen can stay of the Mercedes.

32/66: Russell has the fastest lap, and it looks like Red Bull and Mercedes are streets ahead, and a bit more even than before.

31/66: Sergio Perez is motoring down the pack.

30/66: Verstappen heading for the grand slam of pole and leading every lap.

29/66: Verstappen claims back fastest lap, only to lose it to Russell again;

28/66: George Russell suggests there will be rain soon. He briefly holds the fastest lap/

27/66: Verstappen pits and still retains the lead…

26/66: It’s the Red Bull pair in the lead now and Verstappen will soon have the pace to take a pit stop.

25/66: Hamilton has pitted, dropping down to fifth which leaves Russell closing in on Verstappen…..No, he pits, too.

24/66: Gasly is whipping along while Leclerc in that Ferrari is struggling back in 16th.

23/66: Pierre Gasly, on those hard tyres, sets aa fastest lap.

22/66: “Keep on pushing on,” is the Mercedes strategy according to their man in the box.

21/66: Russell is campaigning for a one-stop strategy. The Mercedes garage don’t seem so sure.

20/66: Alonso, the only Spaniard to have got a podium on this track, pits his Aston Martin and drops to tenth.